Haralson McTavish
| image = | name = | kanji = --- | romanji = --- | race = Shinigami | birthday = December 25 | age = 700 ("45" in appearance) | gender = Male | height = 184 cm | weight = 76 kg | eyes = Black | hair = Red | blood type = --- | unusual features = None | affiliation = Red Sun | previous affiliation = Soul Society Gotei 13 | occupation = --- | previous occupation = Captain of the 1th Division | team = --- | previous team = 11th Division | partner = --- | previous partner = --- | base of operations = Appalachian Mountains, United States | marital status = Married | relatives = Charles McTavish (father) <Jack McTavish (brother) Evelyn McTavish (wife) Braeburn McTavish (son) Brina McTavish (daughter) | education = Unknown | status = Active | shikai = Inga | bankai = Gutaika no Inga }} Haralson McTavish, more commonly known by his alias Jack Taylor, is the son of Charles McTavish and the father of Braeburn McTavish. He is also a retired Captain of the 11th Division, having served in his position for twenty years. Personality Mannerisms & Habits Haralson is a hardy yet collected and socially positive man. Because of the rather rigorous training and hardship that his father put him through, it isn't uncommon for him to behave in a rather rough and occasionally cold-hearted manner. Despite this rather apathetic attitude, he is not as cold as people would think him to be. On the contrary, he can be quite social and willing to speak openly with friends and associates alike. He has quite a deep caring for his family, willing to forgive Brina McTavish even after seeing her part in helping his nemesis.Izanami no Jidō: The Good Life He believes in hard work, driving himself as hard as he can in order to accomplish his own goals. His determination and nearly unbreakable resolve is one of the traits that can be seen within his son during the events of the Ahijados-Yuurei War. In times of conflict, he is relentless and almost obsessive in attacking and fighting an enemy, battering down their defenses without hesitation or mercy. He is willing to spare an enemy when they're clearly defeated and have shown a sense of honor of their own. Flaws & Issues Despite the short time he had with Charles, Haralson still holds a sort of bonding attraction towards him. In his younger ages when his time was fresh, Haralson fell into bouts of depression due to Charles's lack of attacking towards him as well as the vicious training sessions he put the younger McTavish through. What kept Haralson from detaching himself from his father completely was the fact that Charles never tossed him aside carelessly like a tool. Slowly, he began to grasp the belief that Charles was showing him how to make himself stronger through the near-abuse. He himself admits that this can probably be seen as an obsession of sorts, believing it to be the common view of other people. However, despite his father being rigorous and cruel towards him, he does not treat Braeburn to the same extent out of desire to give him the overwatch Charles rarely provided. Beliefs & Philosophies Just like his father before him, Haralson is a devoted worshipper of Red Sun. However, he is not an extremist. He does not condone killing of the innocent, nor does he make it a habit out of taking the lives of foes who can't properly defend themselves. As matter of fact, he holds contempt for those who do carry out the extremist extent of Red Sun's teachings, such as the Ahijados. He is a man of honor and integrity - traits which are seen prominently in the field of battle against his adversaries. He enjoys combat and holds respect for particularly strong opponents he faces. But he can also be condescending and mocking towards any enemy if he sees them not to be "strong of heart" (e.g., sadistic and blood-thirsty killers, soldiers who fight solely out of reward or praise from superiors, combatants too faint-hearted or cowardly to belong within the battlefield). He rarely allows himself to forgive people who have purposefully insulted or hurt his family, always seeking to destroy them in combat rather than drag out a battle. History In Progress... Synopsis Bleach: The Children of Izanami *Izanami no Jidō: Chichi no Tsumi *Izanami no Jidō: Gazō no Yomikomi *Izanami no Jidō: The Good Life *Izanami no Jidō: Mother, Forgive Me... *Izanami no Jidō: Breed of Instrumentality Bleach: The War of Four *The War of Four: The Precipice of War Powers & Abilities Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Having been taught personality by his father, Haralson excels in the art of swordsmanship. Unlike his father, he does not stick to one fighting style, but continuously switches and shifts his forms in order to confuse his opponent and draw them in. He has a knack for fighting less than his full capability in order to ensure that his opponents feel that they can beat him, only to land a lethal blow when they least expect it. His swordplay is heavily versatile and adaptable to any combat situation, making his knack even more terrifying to deal with.Izanami no Jidō: Gazō no Yomikomi Immense Spiritual Power: Haralson possesses a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, up to par with that of a Shunsui-class opponent. The potency of his spiritual energy is demonstrated when he is able to withstand the spiritual pressure of De Soto's Resurrecion and defeat it with his Bankai seconds after it's released.Izanami no Jidō: Gazō no Yomikomi Because spiritual energy is a Shinigami's life-force and Haralson has great amounts of it, he is capable of fighting for extended periods of time whereas others would have exhausted themselves to death. The nature of his spiritual energy is dependant on his emotions and feelings. In case of a few extremes, his energy becomes wild, destructive and explosive if he feels angerIzanami no Jidō: Gazō no Yomikomi, but it becomes weak and less potent when he is saddened or depressed. Flash Steps Master: Haralson's skill in the use of Flash Step matches his experience as a Gotei 13 veteran. He can perform massive leaps and cover tremendous distances within seconds. His speed can outmatch even Captain-class opponents, with the exception of those of senior level. In conjunction with his sword-fighting abilities, Haralson can prove to be a lethal adversary even without the release of his Shikai. Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Though he sticks to the usage of his Zanpakutō against the majority of the opponents he faces, Haralson can defend himself just as skillfully with his bare hands. Like his style of sword combat, his barehanded style is a mix of styles. This is made to confuse his opponent into falling into a false state of defense and prove opportunity of finishing the fight quickly. Immense Strength: Despite his physical visage, Haralson possesses immense physical strength. When he puts effort into his barehanded strikes, they are capable of tearing through flesh as easily and brutally as his sword can. His blows can knock hapless opponents aside and cause considerable problems for any physical defense put up against him. Recently, his strength has increased to fearsome levels; an unrestrained single strike from his sword is enough to destroy the entire face of Sokyoku Hill. Enhanced Endurance: Haralson, as a former Captain of the battle-hardy 11th Division, has shown to be able to sustain considerable damage to his person and keep fighting. In his final bout with De Soto, his stomach is cut open by the Arrancar's blade, but he still is able to keep fighting effectively and eventually defeat the Arrancar. Izanami no Jidō: Gazō no Yomikomi Immense Durability: Although it is unknown to what extent it reaches, Haralson is highly resistant to attacks dealt upon his person. During his fight with the Prophet, he was able to shake off a point-blank Hadō 31 spell that also blew him a considerable distance into a tower.Izanami no Jidō: The Good Life In a fight with Jaken Jōdan, he took a blast of piercing wind to the head with no visible damage.The War of Four: The Precipice of War Zanpakutō Inga (因果, Karma): The name of Haralson's personal Zanpakutō. It takes the form of a katana, the blade standard. However, the hilt is uniquely shaped, golden and having the features of a dragon's head and neck. Its sheath his a brown color, with what appear to be kanji written on the side. *'Shikai:' The released form of Inga takes the form of a claymore. The handle is slightly elongated for a two-handed grip while still enabling a controllable one-hand wield if needed. The hilt is flat, wrapped in what appears to be a small vine. Both the middle of the handle and the center of the hilt sides have carved diamonds merged into them. The metal of the blade is noticeably stainless. **''Shikai Special Ability:'' Inga's special ability, as hinted at by its very name, is the return of an opponent's power against them. When hit by an enemy attack, the blade of Inga channels the energy of said attack inside of it, reverses its flow and sends it back in the direction of where it came from. Naturally, this can be particularly devastating when the opposing force is particularly powerful. In earlier years, the ability could only be initiated through melee attacks. But through honing of his skills, Haralson can redirect pure energy attacks as well with varying degrees of accuracy. ***'Gekitai Surukagami' (撃退する鏡, Parrying Mirror): By parrying a melee strike against Inga, Haralson can reflect the force of an opponent's strike against them. The ability is mostly used as a non-lethal approach to ward off foes. But with enough focus, Haralson can mold the reversed force and concentrate it to aim at select parts of the body. Depending on the amount of power used, this can deprive an adversary of a limb, cause them grievous injury and even end their life within one shot. ***'Tatsumaki no Hotoke' (竜巻の仏, Tornado of Buddha): An ability which can counter energy and projectile-based attacks. Whenever Haralson channels his spiritual energy into an offensive blast against an opposing energy attack, Inga can shift, reverse and merge the flow of the enemy's energy. In turn, this allows not only for Inga to turn that attack against a foe, but to combine the reversed attack with Haralson's in order to increase its power. When put to use against extremely powerful blasts, it can become an extremely devastating and effective weapon against even exceptionally strong adversaries. *'Bankai:' In Progress... Trivia *While Braeburn speaks with an Australian accent, Harlson speaks with a Glaswegian one and Charles McTavish speaks with a British one. Behind The Scenes *Both Haralson, Braeburn, and Brina are named after an apple cultivar. References Category:Character